A known lid lock apparatus for a vehicle is disclosed in JP2000-8672A (i.e., hereinafter referred to as Patent reference 1). The known lid lock apparatus disclosed in Patent reference 1 includes a retainer provided at a support wall of a lid box formed on a vehicle body, a cap detachably assembled to the retainer, and a lock pin movable relative to the cap and arranged penetrating through the support wall to protrude inside the lid box (i.e., outside the vehicle body). Further according to the known lid lock apparatus disclosed in Patent reference 1, a fuel filler door for opening and closing an opening portion of the lid box is assembled to be tilting relative to the lid box. The fuel filler door is retainable at a closed state by the lock pin (i.e., locked state).
Patent reference 1 discloses a known lid lock apparatus for a vehicle in which a cap (i.e., referred to as a lock in Patent reference 1) is attachable to and detachable from a retainer assembled to a support wall of a lid box by a manual operation operated outside the lid box (i.e., inside a vehicle body). Patent reference 1 further discloses a modified lid lock apparatus for a vehicle based on the foregoing known lid lock apparatus, in which a cap is attachable to and detachable from a retainer assembled to a support wall of a lid box by a manual operation operated outside the lid box (i.e., inside a vehicle body) and the retainer assembled to the support wall of the lid box is removable from the support wall together with the cap by a manual operation operated inside the lid box (i.e., outside the vehicle body).
According to the known lid lock apparatus for the vehicle disclosed in the Patent reference 1, because the cap is detachable relative to the retainer provided at the support wall of the lid box by the manual operation operated outside the lid box (i.e., inside a vehicle body), manual operations operated inside the lid box (i.e., outside the vehicle body) are not necessary, which is advantageous. However, according to the constructions disclosed in Patent reference 1, when assembling the cap to the retainer, a positioning operation of the cap relative to the retainer, an inserting operation of the cap to the retainer, and a rotating operation of the cap relative to the retainer are required. Thus, according to the constructions disclosed in Patent reference 1, there are drawbacks that assembling man-hour is large and misassembling is likely to occur because it is difficult for an operator to recognize that the assembling of the cap to the retainer is completed.
On the other hand, according to the modified lid lock apparatus for the vehicle disclosed in Patent reference 1, notwithstanding the foregoing drawbacks are resolved, the retainer and the cap is removed from the support wall by the manual operation operated at an outside the lid box (i.e., inside the vehicle body) with plural steps including a rotational operation, which deteriorates the workability.
A need thus exists for a lid lock apparatus for a vehicle which is not susceptible to the drawback mentioned above.